Ruppthritis
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Ruppthritis

Baldwin, New York, United States | SELF

Baldwin, New York, United States | SELF
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""Ruppthritis" - self released, 2010"

Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Overkill on tour in support of
their latest release, "Ironbound" (easily their strongest album since
"Horrorscope"). The venue: the recently opened Karma in Patchogue, NY,
which also doubles as a dance club in the later hours of the evening.
On the bill in support of New Jersey's finest old guard of all things
thrash and metal were Bay Area cult legends Forbidden, Gamma Bomb,
Evile, Carcinogen, and Ruppthritis. All in all, a pretty solid lineup,
so I expected a night of thrashing hard and getting trounced in the
pit. Usually, opening bands are nowhere near the same league as the
headliners, so imagine my surprise when openers Ruppthritis stormed
the stage with very little dialogue and slammed right into their first
song, which recalled vintage Exodus with vocals that bear some
resembelance to "Far Beyond Driven/Trendkill"-era Pantera. Two more
songs followed, at which point the band had to cut their set short due
to time limitations. What a slam-and-bang fifteen minutes though!
Carcinogen followed, their utterly generic death-metal-by-numbers
routine seeming wholly out of place on a bill filled with pure thrash
metal mavens. The remainder of the lineup leading up to Overkill's
vitriolic and pummeling set were as expected, pure and total thrash,
but it was the opening band which really stuck in my head. After
Overkill finished decimating the crowd (composed of both old-school
veterans and PG-13 movie goers in Megadeth and Testament shirts,among
others), I made my way to Ruppthritis' merch table where I was able to
purchase a copy of their recently released self-titled album from
their drummer, Matt Garzilli. In brief conversation, he told me that
the bands unique name was a term derived from arthritis-like pain that
results from "Rupping", which is a form of dirt-bike racing.
Apparently all the band members own "Rupp" bikes and are avid
practitioners of this sport. After complimenting him on their great
set, and talking briefly with members of Forbidden, I headed home to
the other side of Long Island, with Ruppthritis' self-titled album as
my driving soundtrack. As for the album itself, there is a lot going
on here. 10 songs clocking in at around 50 minutes. Opener
"Ruppthritis" wastes no time in letting you know what these guys are
about: A sideways piercing riff that recalls vintage Exodus with pure
piss n' vinegar Anselmo-esque vocals over the top from singer David
Schneider. "Scat-In-Mouth Theory" continues with the thrash aerobics,
the drumming tight and controlled, the guitar and bass work by
brothers Joe and Mike Mastrosimone meshing in sync with driving fury.
Track 3, "A Certain Look", with it's fast-and-slow dynamics, is
absolutely punishing, Schneider's lyrics here even outdoing Phil
Anselmo's "Good Friends And A Bottle Of Pills" for sheer vulgarity,
with lines like "So I guess daddy didn't love you/ he was just using
your hole". Not for the faint-hearted indeed. The band slow things
down a bit with a pleasant melodic intro on the track "Living Lies".
This wouldn't sound out of place on a Down album, and if they were to
have a "commercial" hit, this would probably be it. And by that I mean
this should be played on WSOU or another like-minded station that
retains loyalty for the underground. Other songs like "Arsonist" and
"What Lies Beyond" ride a riff structure that recalls Slayer's
"Diabolus/God Hates Us All"-era with atonal chords that flow together
at just the right points. Also worth mentioning is Joe Mastrosimone's
strong lead work, which in tone and attack is highly reminiscent of
Kreator's Jorg Trezbiatowski. The album closes with the track
"Ballad", which is anything but. A welcome addition to the "New Wave
Of American Thrash Metal" scene that has taken root in the last few
years, and certainly a breath of pure rage-filled oxygen amidst an
endless sea of Emo and "Core" bands that dominate the Long Island
musical landscape, Ruppthritis deliver big time on their first album.
I'm curious to see what they have in store for their second slab. If you like
your metal thrashy and brutal with a nod to the old-school leading
lights (Exodus, Slayer, Kreator), check these guys out and get Rupped
Up! Cheers, -EZB- - Evan Z. Berning


Discography

LPs:
2010 - Ruppthritis

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Bio

Started in January of 07, Rupp has been gigging and writing songs steadily. With influences that vary between metal, blues, jazz, and every genre in between, Rupp has developed a sound that can't be totally placed in any one category. The soul of the band derives from unwillingness to conform, strong friendship, the love for music and the undying passion for riding vintage minibikes. The band recently opened for thrash legends Overkill as well as releasing their debut LP, Ruppthritis.

Joe Mastrosimone - Joe has been playing guitar for close to ten years and has a strong kinship with all things metal! He writes the riffs of devastation that shred right down to your soul and make you want to bang your head against the stage. He has been with Rupp since the start!

David Schneider - The voice of the band though sometimes you wish you didn't hear what he was saying! The brutal truth is love him or hate him he'll force you to listen anyway just to hear what absurdity comes out of his mouth next! Having been playing in bands for over 10 years on stages that range from grimy, dirty bar floors to Cbgbs. He is no stranger to music.

Matt Garzilli - Having been a friend to both Joe and Dave for years Garzilli gave them the tools they needed to start this band. 1. A place to practice. 2. A guiding hand in songwriting. The only thing they didn't have was a drummer. So out of sheer necessity Garzilli put down the guitar we all know and love him for and taught himself the drums. Having been a prolific guitar player in his band Fatal Edge who ran the metal scene in the old Castle Heights in Queens to Lamours in Brooklyn he had no reservations about getting on the stage.

Mike Mastrosimone - Having assembled an all-star cast of musicians.(haha) The boys had one last problem. Who was going to play bass? The only logical option was to get Mike, Joes older brother to buy a bass guitar and start playing. Having played the guitar for years it was an easy transition and it adds a melodic lead quality to his bass riffs.